Venezuela and Israel restore consular ties as relations warm

Despite cutting diplomatic ties with Israel in 2009, Caracas has shifted alignment in wake of Maduro abduction.Published On 11 Aug 202611 Aug 2026Venezuela and Israel have agreed to restore consular relations, in a major shift.The announcement by both Israel and Venezuela on Tuesday comes as the interim President Delcy Rodriguez has pursued a major realignment since the United States military abduction of leader Nicolas Maduro in January.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Palestine weekly: Netanyahu hedges on Gaza roadmaplist 2 of 3De la Espriella sworn in as Colombia’s leader, vows armed group crackdownlist 3 of 3Colombia’s far-right government recognises Israeli claim over Golan Heightsend of listThat has included thawing ties with Israel, after Caracas severed ties 17 years ago in light of Israeli attacks on Gaza. Under Maduro, Venezuela had remained staunchly opposed to Israel, while aligning with regional foe Iran.In a statement on X, Felix Plasencia Gonzalez, Venezuela’s minister of foreign relations, said the decision to restore consular ties came after Israel deployed a team to Venezuela after twin earthquakes devastated the South American country.“The Government...